Visas: Procedures for Issuing Visas

Status: In force. The effective date has passed and nothing here records a change to that.

From the published effective date. Nothing here records a court changing it.

• Document number: 2015-27862
• Type: Final Rule
• Published: November 2, 2015
• Effective: November 2, 2015
• Agency: State Department

Official abstract

The Department of State is updating its regulations regarding nonimmigrant visa format, and records retention procedures. These updates reflect changes in technology, including the current practice of issuing machine-readable visas and the planned future practice of issuing visas electronically. The Department is also removing an obsolete records retention provision and a visa review provision, both of which are now addressed in the Foreign Affairs Manual.

Primary source

Read the full text on the Federal Register

This page is a structured index entry, not a substitute for reading the rule. This is not legal advice.

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Data updated October 2, 2026